1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to exercise devices for developing and conditioning various parts of the body and, more particularly, to a weight lifting exercise unit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The importance of regular exercise for building and maintaining strength and endurance cannot be overemphasized. The modern conveniences which we enjoy and the sedentary tasks which we increasingly perform have given us a comfortable life style at the expense of physical fitness. Highly active exercise programs, such as running, develop endurance of the cardiovascular system. Muscular strength and endurance is best developed through weight training.
The simplest and least expensive apparatus for weight training is the barbell with removable weights. However, the use of the barbell alone cannot develop all areas of the body. Hence, additional apparatus must be employed for a comprehensive conditioning program. Devices developed for this purpose generally provide the user with a force resister against which muscular effort must be applied. Resistance is typically provided by a weight and pulley arrangement, or by an elastic element. These devices permit the force to be applied to the user's body from many different directions in order to develop substantially all areas of the body.
Few of these weight training devices, however, can provide the user with substantially all of the exercising variants required to develop the entire body. Those that do are generally large, complex and costly machines which occupy a substantial amount of space, and consequently are not suitable for home or personal use. These are usually found only in health clubs and other athetic establishments. Devices specifically designed for home use, while somewhat smaller, have not provided the necessary and desired wide variety of exercise options. Hence, a need exists for a compact and versatile exercise unit which can be easily erected for use and easily stored. Particularly, home exercise units have not provided an adjustable floor supported exercise bench which was compact and readily adjustable to an incline or slant position. Additionally, in prior home exercise units incorporating a vertically guided weight and carriage assembly, the carriage assembly could not be selectively used to apply a lifting force to a cable equal to either the full amount of weight set on the exercise unit or only a portion of the weight set, thus providing a greater variety of weight options.